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2015-Vol 4 – President’s Letter

Greetings, fellow colleagues

It’s August in Florida, where temps and humidity are both in the 90’s. There is another month or so of swelteringheat, then we transition to more moderate fall temperatures. Final vacation excursions are underway before school begins again. Retail outlets are busy with parents and children shopping for those back-to-school bargains. There are glimpses of empty school buses wandering through neighborhoods, making their practice runs for the real schedule, soon to be a daily practice. Change is in the air. . . in climate, in activities and in attitude.

Refocus is occurring within the association leadership too. Committees are busy working on industry analysis, curricula and membership. The Conference Committee, of which I am chair, has been meeting on conference calls since the Chicago Conference in March, reviewing feedback and listening to your suggestions. Now we’re redirecting our attention to the next conference, planning the itinerary, assessing topics and searching for possible speakers.

As we formulate the agenda and discuss presentations and speakers, the committee is sensitive to provide topics that appeal to our diverse membership. The board’s intent is that every attendee gleans something to take away from the sessions that will have an impact on personal development or business growth. Recently, as we pondered some of the ideas, it again became apparent that each industry has asset recovery needs that are unique to that market sector. Utilities deal with wire, breakers and transformers; petrochemicals look to reclaim value from pipe and vessels; and the manufacturing sector has a host of other asset recovery expectations.

There is, however, one common thread that crosses all member affiliations.In the age of ever-changing technology, every industry deals with the disposition of IT assets. Whether high-tech telecommunications, power generation, or food processing, every industry is touched by computerization. And at end of life for this equipment, every investment recovery professional has a vested interest in maximizing the recovery while ensuring sensitive information is purged for security compliance. So IT asset disposition, or ITAD, impacts the daily business of us all.

The enclosed article by Sean Magann, as presented at our conference, provides a clear and concise synopsis of reclaiming value from these assets. Though the concepts follow many of the seven steps of investment recovery, the evolving concentration is on reuse rather than recycling. The concept provides great value in redirecting equipment to be used by schools, charities or individuals; however, added responsibility is placed on investment recovery to ensure hard drives and storage media are securely wiped or removed/replaced.

Also included is an appropriate article from The New York Times, providing another look at the growing level of innovation being brought to bear on unique opportunities to find value in unused “assets”. (In this case, leftover food from the ballpark!) Both articles are informative and educational.

During my tenure in the industry I’ve learned that investment recovery is an ever-changing, never-stagnant industry. I trust change is in the air for you as well—change in personal development, expanding business and widening your circle of friends and customers.